Turkish operator Pan Aviation has selected aviation provider Erickson Incorporated to supply emergency fire fighting support for the municipality of Istanbul and surrounding areas of Turkey. The agreement will make use of a specialised S-64E Aircrane to assist with regional fire suppression and emergency response operations 365 days a year for two years.

Pan Aviation general manager Kerem Magdenli comments: “We are delighted to have Erickson's specialised Aircrane and crew ready for fire and emergency response for the Istanbul municipality, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Istanbul fire department.”

The aircraft will be based at Ataturk International airport and can be immediately dispatched for emergency calls anywhere in the greater Istanbul area. The Aircrane will also be available for service in other regions of Turkey upon special request to the municipality.

This extended contract is the result of a 10-month trial period in which Erickson and Pan Aviation worked together to provide customised firefighting and disaster response for Istanbul. “The municipality was extremely pleased with the aircraft capability, pilot expertise, uptime reliability and multi-role function that Pan and Erickson co-operatively provided during the trial period,” adds Erickson vp of commercial aviation Andrew Mills.

Erickson's Aircrane has more than 40 years of firefighting experience worldwide, and is equipped with an array of disaster response tools for this type of emergency operation.